Prior to the shooting, Villavicencio said he had received multiple death threats, including from affiliates of Mexico's Sinaloa Cartel, one of a slew of international organized crime groups that now operate in Ecuador.

Police have accused the two Israeli settlers – Elisha Yered and Yehiel Indore – of causing death, obstructing justice, and committing a nationalistically motivated arson attack in the town of Burqa. The defendants claim that they were acting in self-defense.

Netanyahu reverses Finance Minister Smotrich's decision to withhold funds to Arab Israeli communities over security concerns, announcing evaluation to ensure that funds are transferred for their designated purpose.

State Department comments come as National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby plays down a report in the Wall Street Journal that said the United States and Saudi Arabia had agreed on the broad contours.